Once An Alpha (The S Files: Paranormal Investigation Agency – Book 1)

by McKenna, Callie

  “Because… because you’re pregnant,” he finally said. “I’ve known for days and learned the scent of the baby inside you. So I followed it and brought the team up here, and well, the rest is history, as they say.”

  “What?” I practically screeched. A bout of dizziness overwhelmed me and made my legs weak, and I tried to take several deep calming breaths before giving up. “I can’t be pregnant. I’m on the pill!”

  “I know,” he said. “But sometimes it just happens anyway. I’m not certain of this, but I think shifter sperm might be more potent than a regular human’s. But you are pregnant. Trust me. You really are.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I demanded.

  “Because it was so early,” Lyndon replied. “It had only been a week or so, and I didn’t want you to worry. Especially with everything else we had going on.”

  “That’s no reason to not tell me that I’m pregnant!”

  Now that I was thinking about it, it was starting to make sense. I had been extra tired lately, and I had put that down to stress from working the case. But that could be an early symptom. Also, maybe that was what Ted had meant when he’d looked at my stomach and said he knew I was already claimed. He could smell it on me too. His earlier words echoed in my brain. You really don’t know, do you?

  I glowered at Lyndon, trying to resist the urge to slap him. Now I was the one lost for words.

  “Does me saving your life today make up for me not telling you, even just a little bit?” he said, turning on the old Lyndon charm as he stared down at me with passion-filled eyes.

  I looked back at him defiantly and then turned and stomped away in a huff.

  “We’ll see,” I said, turning my head over my shoulder a second later.

  He grinned and followed me to his car, and then he opened the passenger door for me. After climbing in the other side, he squeezed my thigh and started the engine.

  “Baby,” he said. “Let’s get the hell out of this town.”

  Epilogue

  ‘Several more arrests have been made in the shocking Bakewell Springs investigation, and the whole country watches and waits with bated breath to see what happens during the trials. Several leaders of shifter communities have come out in support of the many victims, stating that they are good people and don’t want to be tarnished with the same brush as the evil conspirators from the sleepy Colorado town. More on that later when we interview shifter Jack Lyndon, who is currently serving as a criminal profiler for the FBI’s violent crimes division. Back to you, Charlotte.’

  I muted the TV and leaned back in my chair, watching the silent images play out on the screen. So far, over a hundred arrests had been made in Bakewell Springs, and it was likely that there would be a lot more. I’d be happy if I never had to hear that damn town’s name again, but the media frenzy wasn’t letting up.

  The general public had been beyond stunned to learn about the existence of shifters, and after such a high-profile case had been brought to the attention of a few, it was only a matter of time before the whole world knew. Most of them had been taking it surprisingly well, but I knew it was only a matter of time before more trouble erupted. I’d already heard whispers of anti-shifter terrorist cells popping up all over the place, and I tried to push the thought from my mind. Right now, I had other things to focus on.

  “Lyndon!” I called out to the kitchen. He appeared a minute later with a cup of tea and a plate of snacks.

  “I made you empanadas,” he said. “Found a recipe online. You said you’d been craving them.”

  I had been craving everything like crazy. You name it, I was eating it. Lyndon strolled over to me and put the plate of food on the coffee table, and I squeezed his hand as he sat next to me.

  “I’ve almost forgiven you for knocking me up and not telling me,” I said. “But that all depends on whether there’s triple caramel chunk ice cream in the freezer.”

  He laughed. “Of course there is. I gather the morning sickness from earlier has all but vanished then.”

  “Yeah. Seems to stay at bay as long as I eat regularly,” I replied.

  His hand lifted to brush a lock of hair behind my ear. “I’d say this little one is definitely mine if it’s so hungry all the time.”

  I swatted at him. “Who else’s would it be?”

  “Hmm… I don’t know,” he said. “You did spend a fair amount of time with our old friend Sheriff Mills back in that town. I can’t blame you; that beer gut of his was really something.”

  “Oh, shut up. That’s not funny. Maybe in ten years it will be.”

  His hand traveled to my stomach, feeling the ever-expanding bump, and my smile widened as I thought of how I was nurturing such a precious bundle inside of me. I’d never even thought of having kids; hell, I’d never even been sure that I liked them, but the moment I discovered I was pregnant, no thanks to Lyndon, some sort of maternal instincts had kicked in.

  Now I couldn’t wait to fill our house with his shifter babies. Lyndon grabbed an empanada and handed it to me, and as I chewed he fixed the sofa cushions behind my back.

  “Even though you’re disgusting and eat with your mouth open half the time… I still love you,” he said.

  I grinned and swallowed my tasty morsel. “Even though you’re a dirty sleaze, I still love you too,” I replied.

  “If you want to return to work after the baby’s old enough, we need to be a lot more careful about what cases you’re assigned to,” he said. “Now that we know the kind of shit that’s out there… I almost lost you back there, and I can’t do that again. I can’t lose you, Myla.

  I pulled him closer for a kiss. “Don’t worry. You aren’t going to lose me. I’m not going anywhere. Besides, I’ve decided on a new project for while I’m pregnant and being a mother and what not.”

  “And what’s that?” he asked, eyebrows raised.

  “I think I’m finally going to go in for that PhD fellowship I turned down ages ago. I really want to study shifters and find out everything I can about their genetic and physical makeup.”

  “You know, I think that’s a great idea. It’ll be a lot less dangerous than the FBI, and I think studying shifters will help the public gain a better understanding of us. Maybe they’ll be less worried when they realize how similar we are to them. Can I volunteer as your first test subject? I do recall you saying I’d make a sexy lab rat.”

  He gave me a cheeky wink, and I smiled to myself as I absentmindedly stroked the diamond ring on my left hand. Who would’ve thought I’d end up with one of the world’s sexiest men as my future husband and father to my child? I guess dreams really did come true…

  ***

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